The bank said the findings revealed a significant increase in ‘New Vehicle’ spending expectations for the next 12 months.
Specifically, 43.0% of respondents anticipated buying a new vehicle in May, up from 35.8% the previous month and 41.2% last year.
“This is the highest level since Jan 2023 and showed the largest sequential improvement in all four big-ticket categories,” BofA’s team noted.
“Plans to buy a New Home over the next 12 months have returned to 20%+ levels for the first time in twelve months and increased from 18.5% last month to 24.3% in May,” they added.
Meanwhile, grocery remains the top category where over 35% of respondents expect to spend more in the next three months.
Home Improvement & Renovations also saw over 30% of respondents in May expecting to increase spending in the next three months, representing a notable rise both sequentially and year-over-year. Home Furnishings experienced a sharp increase in spending expectations, from 23.33% in May 2023 to 27.10% in May 2024, BofA highlighted.
In terms of inflation and promotion expectations, fewer than 65% of respondents continue to notice the most dramatic price increases in the Grocery category, down from 72.5% last year and 72.1% last month.
Similarly, fewer respondents are noticing price increases at Restaurants/Bars.
Intriguingly, about 42% of respondents in May have not noticed an increase in discounts or promotions, down from 49.4% last year and 49.9% last month.
Source: Economy - investing.com
